Operational terminal device, display control device, method of operating terminal device, method of operating display control device, and system

ABSTRACT

An operational terminal device may include a control unit to control display on a display screen of at least one operation button to control a display control device, based on button information associated with the operation button and received from the display control device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application contains subject matter related to thatdisclosed in Japanese Priority Patent Application 2010-237667 filed inthe Japan Patent Office on Oct. 22, 2010, the entire content of which ishereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present technology relates to an operational terminal device, adisplay control device operated by the operational terminal device, amethod of operating a terminal device, a method of operating a displaycontrol device, and a system.

Remote controls are essential for a large number of electronic unitsincluding televisions and recording/playback devices such as BD (Blu-rayDisc (registered trademark)) recorders. Remote controls including onlyoperation buttons have been dominant; however, in recent years, remotecontrols including a display panel and a touch panel have beendeveloped. For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2008-153732 discloses a remote control devicedisplaying, on a display panel, operation buttons similar to those in atypical remote control on a display panel in a normal mode anddisplaying, on the display panel, the same menu screen as that displayedon a television screen by pushing a menu button, thereby performingoperations with a touch panel.

In some cases, a remote control is operated according to an instructiondisplayed on a display device. For example, with the spread of digitalbroadcasting in recent years, televisions are provided with remotecontrols including blue, red, green and yellow buttons (hereinafterreferred to as color buttons), and these color buttons are operatedwhile watching information displayed on the television, thereby allowingvarious operations to be performed depending on the situation. Morespecifically, for example, the case where data broadcasting is displayedon a television to operate color buttons according to an instruction ona display screen and the case where a recording/playback device isprogrammed with use of color buttons according to an instruction on adisplay screen of a television correspond to the above case.

However, in such a situation, it is necessary for a user to operate aremote control in his hand while watching a display screen of atelevision to check an instruction, and the user frequently suffersinconvenience. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.2008-153732 does not disclose a method of eliminating this inconveniencein the case where operation buttons are displayed on the remote control.

It is desirable to provide an operational terminal device capable ofreducing the frequency with which a user watches a display screen of adisplay device when operating operation buttons on a remote control, adisplay control device, a method of operating a terminal device, amethod of operating a display control device, and a system.

SUMMARY

In accordance with one embodiment, an operational terminal device mayinclude a control unit to control display on a display screen of atleast one operation button to control a display control device, based onbutton information associated with the operation button and receivedfrom the display control device.

In accordance with another embodiment, a display control device mayinclude a control unit to control transmission, to an external devicethat controls display on a display screen, of button informationassociated with at least one operation button, where the buttoninformation controls display of the operation button on the displayscreen by the external device.

In accordance with another embodiment, a method of operating a terminaldevice may include controlling, by a processor, display on a displayscreen of at least one operation button to control a display controldevice, based on button information associated with the operation buttonand received from the display control device.

In accordance with another embodiment, a method of operating a displaycontrol device may include controlling, by a processor, transmission, toan external device that controls display on a display screen, of buttoninformation associated with at least one operation button, where thebutton information controls display of the operation button on thedisplay screen by the external device.

In accordance with another embodiment, a system may include anoperational terminal device and a display control device. Theoperational terminal device may include a first control unit to controldisplay on a display screen of at least one operation button to controlthe display control device, based on button information associated withthe operation button and received from the display control device. Thedisplay control device may include a second control unit to controltransmission to the terminal device of the button information.

In the operational terminal device, the display control device, themethod of operating a terminal device, the method of operating a displaycontrol device, and the system according to the embodiment of thetechnology, display control of the operation buttons on the operationalterminal device is performed based on the button information transmittedfrom the display control device; therefore, the frequency with which auser watches a display screen of the display control device whenoperating the operation buttons is allowed to be reduced.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended toprovide further explanation of the technology as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitutea part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments and,together with the specification, serve to explain the principles of thetechnology.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration exampleof a display system according to a first embodiment of the technology.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of adisplay illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of amobile device illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of themobile device illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are illustrations of display examples on the displaydevice and the mobile device illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an operation example of the displaysystem illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display controlcommand.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of amobile device according to a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration exampleof a display system according to a second embodiment of the technology.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of amobile device illustrated in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating an operation example of the displaysystem illustrated in FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating another example of the display controlcommand.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a display example on a mobile deviceaccording to a modification of the second embodiment.

FIGS. 14A and 14B are diagrams illustrating display examples on themobile device according to the modification.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of amobile device according to another modification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the technology will be described in detailbelow referring to the accompanying drawings. It is to be noted thatdescription will be given in the following order.

1. First Embodiment

2. Second Embodiment

(1. First Embodiment) [Configuration Example] (Whole ConfigurationExample)

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration example of a display system accordingto an embodiment of the technology. It is to be noted that anoperational terminal device, a display control device, a method ofoperating a terminal device, a method of operating a display controldevice, and a system according to an embodiment of the technology areembodied by the embodiment, and will be also described below.

A display system 1 includes a display device 10 and a mobile device 20.In this example, as will be described later, the display device 10 is adisplay device displaying television broadcasting received through anantenna. The mobile device 20 is an electronic device such as a cellularphone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) or a portable music player,and includes a display section 21 and a touch panel 22. The mobiledevice 20 has a remote control mode for operating the display device 10,and when the mobile device 20 is switched to the remote control mode,operation buttons of a remote control are displayed on the displaysection 21, and the display device 10 is allowed to be operated bytouching any one of the operation buttons by a user. The display device10 and the mobile device 20 have a communication mechanism A allowinginformation to be exchanged therebetween. In the case where the mobiledevice 20 is in the remote control mode, the mobile device 20 transmitsa remote control signal R to the display device 10 through thecommunication mechanism A. Moreover, as will be described later, thedisplay device 10 transmits, to the mobile device 20, informationassociated with operation buttons displayable on the display section 21of the mobile device 20 through the communication mechanism A. Forexample, as the communication mechanism A, wireless communication suchas wireless LAN (Local Area Network), ZigBee (registered trademark) orBluetooth (registered trademark) is allowed to be used. It is to benoted that the communication mechanism A between the display device 10and the mobile device 20 in this example is wireless communication;however, the communication mechanism A is not limited thereto, and maybe wired communication such as LAN or USB (Universal Serial Bus).

FIG. 2 illustrates a configuration example of the display device 10. Thedisplay device 10 includes a signal processing section 30, a displaydrive section 11, a display section 12, an audio amplification section13 and a speaker 14.

The signal processing section 30 includes a digital tuner 31, ademultiplexer 32, an MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) decoder 33, apicture signal processing section 34, a graphic generation section 35,an audio signal processing section 36 and an HDMI (High-DefinitionMultimedia Interface) interface 37.

The digital tuner 31 converts a broadcast wave signal of digitalterrestrial broadcasting received by an antenna (not illustrated) andsupplied through an antenna terminal TD into an MPEG-TS stream.Moreover, the digital tuner 31 may process a broadcast wave signal of BS(Broadcasting Satellite) digital broadcasting or CS (CommunicationsSatellite) digital broadcasting in addition to the broadcast wave signalof digital terrestrial broadcasting. These broadcast wave signalsinclude not only a picture signal and an audio signal but also a databroadcasting signal. Information of data broadcasting is written in BML(Broadcast Markup Language) in this example. The demultiplexer 32 has afunction of separating the supplied MPEG-TS stream into the picturesignal and the audio signal, and the data broadcasting signal. The MPEGdecoder 33 converts the picture signal and the audio signal into adigital component signal and a digital audio signal, respectively, basedon the picture signal and audio signal supplied from the demultiplexer32.

Moreover, the signal processing section 30 includes an analog tuner 41,a video decoder 42 and an audio A/D conversion section 43. The analogtuner 41 demodulates the broadcast wave signal of analog terrestrialbroadcasting received by the antenna (not illustrated) and suppliedthrough the antenna terminal TA into a baseband. The video decoder 42converts the picture signal demodulated by the analog tuner 41 into adigital component signal. The audio A/D conversion section 43 convertsan analog audio signal demodulated by the analog tuner 41 into a digitalaudio signal.

It is to be noted that in this example, as described above, the signalprocessing section 30 includes the analog tuner 41, the video decoder 42and the audio A/D conversion section 43, and is allowed to receiveanalog terrestrial broadcasting; however, the signal processing section30 is not limited thereto, and a signal processing section not includingthese components may be used.

The picture signal processing section 34 performs picture signalprocessing such as gamma processing, YUY-RGB conversion or framesequential output on the picture signal (the digital component signal)supplied from the MPEG decoder 33 or the video decoder 42. The graphicgeneration section 35 has a function of generating a screen fordisplaying data broadcasting, or generating OSD (On Screen Display)information to superimpose the screen or the OSD information on apicture supplied from the picture signal processing section 34.

The audio signal processing section 36 performs audio signal processingsuch as surround processing on the digital audio signal supplied fromthe MPEG decoder 33 or the audio A/D conversion section 43.

The HDMI interface 37 has a function of exchanging information with anexternal device (not illustrated), like a recording/playback device suchas a BD recorder, through an HDMI terminal TH. For example, in the casewhere a picture signal and an audio signal are supplied from arecording/playback device connected to the HDMI interface 37, the HDMIinterface 37 supplies the picture signal and the audio signal to thepicture signal processing section 34 and the audio signal processingsection 36, respectively.

Moreover, the signal processing section 30 includes a CPU (CentralProcessing Unit) 51, a flash ROM 52, a memory 53, a network interface54, a wireless communication section 55 and a power control section 56.The CPU 51, the flash ROM 52, the memory 53, the network interface 54and the power control section 56 are connected to one another through aninternal bus 39.

The CPU 51 has a function of controlling the whole display device 10.The flash ROM 52 stores a program necessary for controlling the displaydevice 10, and the CPU 51 reads the program to control the displaydevice 10 with use of the memory 53 as a temporary storage device. Thenetwork interface 54 exchanges information with the mobile device 20 bywired communication through the network terminal TN or by thecommunication mechanism A (wireless communication) through the wirelesscommunication section 55. The power control section 56 has a function ofperforming ON/OFF control of a power supply of the display device 10.

In the display device 10 with this configuration, when a remote controlsignal R is transmitted from the mobile device 20, the network interface54 receives the remote control signal R through the wirelesscommunication section 55, and the CPU 51 analyzes the remote controlsignal R to control the whole display device 10.

Moreover, in the display system 1, as will be described later, forexample, in the case where data broadcasting is displayed on the displaydevice 10, display control of operation buttons on the mobile device 20is performed based on contents of the data broadcasting. Morespecifically, first, the graphic generation section 35 generates adisplay screen for data broadcasting based on information (BML)associated with data broadcasting supplied from the demultiplexer 32through the internal bus 39, and the display section 12 displays thedisplay screen. At the same time, as will be described later, the CPU 51executes a command generation module 51M to parse (analyze) theinformation (BML) associated with data broadcasting, thereby generatinga display control command C for performing display control of theoperation buttons on the mobile device 20. The display control command Cin this example is written in BML. Then, the network interface 54 andthe wireless communication section 55 transmits the display controlcommand C to the mobile device 20 through the communication mechanism A,and the mobile device 20 performs display control of the operationbuttons according to the display control command C.

The display drive section 11 generates a drive signal for driving thedisplay section 12 based on the picture signal supplied from the graphicgeneration section 35 of the signal processing section 30. The displaysection 12 performs display in response to the drive signal suppliedfrom the display drive section 11, and is configured of, for example, aliquid crystal display.

The audio amplification section 13 amplifies the audio signal subjectedto audio signal processing in the audio signal processing section 36 ofthe signal processing section 30. The speaker 14 outputs the audiosignal amplified by the audio amplification section 13.

FIG. 3 illustrates a configuration example of the mobile device 20. Themobile device 20 includes the display section 21, the touch panel 22, awireless communication section 23, a control section 24 and a flash ROM25.

The display section 21 displays a state of the mobile device 20, aninstruction to a user, or the like, and is configured of, for example, aliquid crystal display. In a remote control mode, the display section 21displays operation buttons for operating the display device 10. Thetouch panel 22 is arranged to be superimposed on the display section 21,and functions as an input interface when a user inputs informationaccording to display of the display section 21. The wirelesscommunication section 23 exchanges information with the display device10 through the communication mechanism A (wireless communication). Thecontrol section 24 controls these components. Moreover, the controlsection 24 includes a command analysis section 26 which analyzes thedisplay control command C transmitted from the display device 10 toperform display control of the operation buttons on the display section21. The flash ROM 25 stores a program necessary when the control section24 performs control.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a display screen of the mobile device20 in the remote control mode. In the remote control mode, for example,as illustrated in FIG. 4, the mobile device 20 displays variousoperation buttons on the display screen 60. Examples of the operationbuttons include an on/standby button 61, a broadcast select buttonsection 62, a number button section 63, a volume button section 64, adata broadcasting button 65, a color button section 66 and a cursorbutton section 67. The on/standby button 61 controls ON/OFF of the powersupply of the display device 10. The broadcast select button section 62is provided to select broadcasting to be received, and in this example,broadcasting to be received is selected from analog terrestrialbroadcasting, digital terrestrial broadcasting, BS broadcasting and CSbroadcasting. The number button section 63 is provided to switchchannels or to input a number. The volume button section 64 is providedto adjust the volume of the display device 10. The data broadcastingbutton 65 is provided to display or hide data broadcasting in the casewhere a received broadcast wave signal includes data broadcasting. Thecolor button section is provided to select a function or the like, and,for example, the color button section 66 is used to select a menu in thecase where data broadcasting is displayed, or to control therecording/playback device in the case where the recording/playbackdevice is connected to the HDMI terminal TH. For example, the cursorbutton section 67 is used to move a cursor displayed on the displayscreen of the display device 10. Moreover, for example, the cursorbutton section 67 is used to control the recording/playback device inthe case where the recording/playback device is connected to the HDMIterminal TH. Thus, for example, various functions are allocated to thecolor button section 66, the cursor button section 67 and the likedepending on situation.

In the remote control mode, the mobile device 20 displays operationbuttons as illustrated in FIG. 4 on the display section 21 based on aprogram stored in the flash ROM 25, and the wireless communicationsection 23 transmits the remote control signal R to the display device10 in response to a user's operation. In this example, a program forremote control operation is stored in the flash ROM 25 however, thetechnology is not limited thereto, and, for example, a whole or a partof the program may be transmitted from the display device 10 when themobile device 20 is turned on.

Moreover, the mobile device 20 has a function of receiving the displaycontrol command C from the display device 10 to perform display controlof the operation buttons according to the display control command C.More specifically, the wireless communication section 23 receives thedisplay control command C from the display device 10, and the commandanalysis section 26 of the control section 24 parses the display controlcommand C to perform display control of the operation buttons on thedisplay section 21.

Herein, the mobile device 20 corresponds to a specific example of “anoperational terminal device” in the technology. The on/standby button61, the broadcast select button section 62, the number button section63, the volume button section 64, the data broadcasting button 65, thecolor button section 66 and the cursor button section 67 correspond tospecific examples of “operation button” in the technology. The remotecontrol signal R corresponds to a specific example of “a control signal”in the technology. The wireless communication section 23 and the controlsection 24 (the command analysis section 26) correspond to a specificexample of “a control unit” in the operational terminal device accordingto the technology.

The command generation module 51M, the network interface 54, and thewireless communication section 55 correspond to specific examples of “acontrol unit” in the display control device according to the technology.

[Operation and Functions]

Next, an operation and functions of the display system 1 according tothe embodiment will be described below.

(Summary of Whole Operation)

First, referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, a whole operation of the displaysystem 1 will be briefly described below. In the display device 10, thedigital tuner 31 converts a broadcast wave signal including a picturesignal, an audio signal and a data broadcasting signal into an MPEG-TSstream. The demultiplexer 32 separates the supplied MPEG-TS stream intothe picture signal and the audio signal, and the data broadcastingsignal. The MPEG decoder 33 converts the picture signal and the audiosignal into a digital component signal and a digital audio signal,respectively, based on the picture signal and the audio signal suppliedfrom the demultiplexer 32. The picture signal processing section 34performs picture signal processing on the picture signal supplied fromthe MPEG decoder 33. The graphic generation section 35 generates ascreen for displaying data broadcasting or OSD information tosuperimpose the screen or the OSD information on a picture supplied fromthe picture signal processing section 34. The display drive section 11drives the display section 12 based on the picture signal supplied fromthe graphic generation section 35. The display section 12 performsdisplay in response to a signal supplied from the display drive section11. The audio signal processing section 36 performs audio signalprocessing on the audio signal supplied from the MPEG decoder 33. Theaudio amplification section 13 amplifies the audio signal supplied fromthe audio signal processing section 36 to drive the speaker 14. Thespeaker 14 outputs the audio signal as sound.

Moreover, the network interface 54 receives the remote control signal Rfrom the mobile device 20 by the communication mechanism A through thewireless communication section 55. The CPU 51 analyzes the remotecontrol signal R to control the whole display device 10. Further, thecommand generation module 51M of the CPU 51 parses informationassociated with data broadcasting supplied from the demultiplexer 32through the internal bus 39 to generate the display control command Cfor performing display control of the operation buttons on the mobiledevice 20. The network interface 54 transmits the display controlcommand C to the mobile device 20 by the communication mechanism Athrough the wireless communication section 55.

In the mobile device 20, the display section 21 displays operationbuttons for operating the display device 10 in the remote control mode.The touch panel 22 receives an information input by a user. The controlsection 24 generates the remote control signal R in response to a user'soperation, and the wireless communication section 23 transmits theremote control signal R to the display device 10 through thecommunication mechanism A. Moreover, the wireless communication section23 receives the display control command C from the display device 10.The command analysis section 26 of the control section 24 analyzes thedisplay control command C to perform display control of the operationbuttons on the display section 21.

(Specific Operation)

Next, a specific operation of the display system 1 will be describedbelow.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a display example on the display device 10and a display example on the mobile device 20, respectively, in the casewhere data broadcasting is received. In the case where data broadcastingis received, functions are allocated to the color buttons of the remotecontrol, respectively, and when a user touches the data broadcastingbutton 65, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 5A, informationassociated with the functions allocated to the color buttons isdisplayed on the display section 12 of the display device 10. Moreover,in the display system 1, when the display device 10 receives databroadcasting, information associated with the allocated functions istransmitted to the mobile device 20, and labels L as illustrated in FIG.5B are displayed on the color button section 66 in the display screen 60of the mobile device 20 illustrated in FIG. 4. Therefore, the user isallowed to operate these functions by watching only the display screen60 of the mobile device 20 without watching the display screen of thedisplay device 10.

FIG. 6 illustrates an operation flow of the display system 1. In thedisplay system 1, when the display device 10 receives data broadcasting,the display device 10 generates the display control command C forperforming display control of the color button section 66 based oninformation associated with data broadcasting to transmit the displaycontrol command C to the mobile device 20. In the mobile device 20,display control of the operation buttons is performed according to thedisplay control command C. More specific description will be givenbelow.

First, the display device 10 checks whether the mobile device 20 is in aremote control mode through the communication mechanism A (step S1). Inthe case where the mobile device 20 is in the remote control mode, theoperation flow proceeds to step S2, and in the case where the mobiledevice 20 is not in the remote control mode, the operation flow returnsto the step S1.

Next, the display device 10 checks whether a received program isprovided with data broadcasting (step S2). In the case where thereceived program is provided with data broadcasting, the operation flowproceeds to step S4, and in the case where the received program is notprovided with data broadcasting, the operation flow returns to the stepS1.

In the case where the received program is provided with databroadcasting, when a user touches the data broadcasting button 65 in thefollowing steps, the display device 10 displays data broadcasting. Morespecifically, in the mobile device 20, first, the control section 24generates the remote control signal R in response to a user's operation,and the wireless communication section 23 transmits the remote controlsignal R to the display device 10. In the display device 10, the networkinterface 54 receives the remote control signal R through the wirelesscommunication section 55, and the CPU 51 analyzes the remote controlsignal R. Then, the demultiplexer 32 separates a data broadcastingsignal from the MPEG-TS stream in response to an instruction from theCPU 51, and supplies information associated with data broadcasting tothe graphic generation section 35 through the internal bus 39. Then, thegraphic generation section 35 generates a screen for data broadcastingbased on the information, and the display section 12 displays thescreen.

Next, the display device 10 parses BML in data broadcasting (step S4) togenerate the display control command C (step S5). More specifically, thecommand generation module 51M of the CPU 51 analyzes BML in databroadcasting, and generates the display control command C based on ananalysis result.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of the display control command C. Thedisplay control command C is written in BML. In this example, labels Lof “news”, “local weather”, “sports”, “yen and stocks” are written inparts corresponding to tags of <blue>, <red>, <green>and <yellow>,respectively. In this case, these labels L correspond to specificexamples of “button information” in the technology.

Next, the display device 10 transmits the display control command C tothe mobile device 20 (step S6). More specifically, the network interface54 of the display device transmits the display control command C to themobile device 20 with use of the communication mechanism A through thewireless communication section 55.

Next, the mobile device 20 receives the display control command C (stepS7). More specifically, the wireless communication section 23 of themobile device 20 receives the display control command C transmitted fromthe display device 10.

Next, the mobile device 20 displays the labels L according to thedisplay control command C (step S8). More specifically, first, thecommand analysis section 26 of the mobile device 20 analyzes thereceived display control command C to perform display control of thecolor button section 66 based on an analysis result. In other words, inan example of the display control command C illustrated in FIG. 7, forexample, the labels L of “news” and “local weather” written in the partscorresponding to the tag <blue> and <red> are displayed on blue and redbuttons, respectively, as illustrated in FIG. 5B. Moreover, the labels Lof “sports” and “yen and stocks” written in the parts corresponding tothe tag <green> and <yellow> are displayed on green and yellow buttons,respectively, as illustrated in FIG. 5B.

Next, the mobile device 20 receives a user operation (step S9). Morespecifically, when the user touches a part corresponding to any one ofthe operation buttons of the display section 21, the touch panel 22detects a touch by the user. In the case where the user operation isperformed, the operation flow proceeds to step S10, and in the casewhere the user operation is not performed, the operation flow returns tothe step S9.

Then, the mobile device 20 transmits the remote control signal R (stepS10). More specifically, the control section 24 of the mobile device 20generates the remote control signal R in response to the user operationperformed in the step S9, and the wireless communication section 23transmits the remote control signal R to the display device 10 with useof the communication mechanism A. After that, the mobile device 20returns to the step S9, and waits for a next user operation.

Next, the display device 10 receives the remote control signal R (stepS11). More specifically, the network interface 54 of the display device10 receives the remote control signal R transmitted from the mobiledevice 20 through the wireless communication section 55.

Then, the display device 10 performs processing in response to theremote control signal R (step S12). More specifically, the CPU 51 of thedisplay device 10 analyzes the remote control signal R to control thedisplay device 10 based on an analysis result.

Thus, the operation flow is completed.

[Effects]

As described above, in the embodiment, the labels are displayed on themobile device in a hand of the user; therefore, the display device isallowed to be operated by watching only the mobile device withoutchecking the display screen of the display device.

Moreover, in the embodiment, the operation buttons of a remote controlare displayed and operated on the mobile device; therefore, compared tothe case where a menu screen associated with a large number of functionsis switched and displayed, the screen is allowed to be simplified, andis easy for the user to follow.

Further, in the embodiment, the display control command is written inthe same description language as that in data broadcasting; therefore, amethod of generating the display control command is allowed to besimplified.

Moreover, in the embodiment, the mobile device is used as a remotecontrol; therefore, a dedicated remote control is not necessary, and thenumber of remote controls which typically tends to be increased isallowed to be reduced, thereby reducing effort for managing the remotecontrols.

[Modification 1]

In the above-described embodiment, in the case where a received programis provided with data broadcasting, the display control command C istransmitted to the mobile device 20; however, the technology is notlimited thereto, and even in the case where the received program is notprovided with data broadcasting, the display control command C may betransmitted to the mobile device 20. For example, in the case where thereceived program is not provided with data broadcasting, the displaycontrol command C indicating so is transmitted, thereby allowing thedata broadcasting button 65 and the color button section 66 illustratedin FIG. 4 not to be displayed as illustrated in FIG. 8. In other words,an easy-to-follow operation for the user is achievable by not displayingan inoperable button.

[Other Modification]

In the above-described embodiment, in the mobile device 20, the labels Lare displayed on the color button section 66 irrespective of whether theuser touches the data broadcasting button 65; however, the technology isnot limited thereto. For example, only in the case where the usertouches the data broadcasting button 65 to display data broadcasting onthe display device 10, the labels L may be displayed on the color buttonsection 66 of the mobile device 20.

(2. Second Embodiment)

Next, a display system 2 according to a second embodiment of thetechnology will be described below. In the embodiment, the displaycontrol command C is generated in response to connection of an externaldevice to the display device 10. It is to be noted that like componentsare denoted by like numerals as of the display system 1 according to thefirst embodiment and will not be further described.

FIG. 9 illustrates a configuration example of the display system 2. Thedisplay system 2 includes an external device 70. In this example, theexternal device 70 is a recording/playback device such as a BD recorder,and is connected to an HDMI terminal TH of the display device 10 throughan HDMI cable 71. In other words, the display device and the externaldevice 70 are connected to each other through a link function byHDMI-CEC (High Definition Multimedia Interface-Consumer ElectronicsControl), and are allowed to perform operations linked to each other. Inthis example, the display device 10 is a master, and controls allexternal devices connected to the display device 10, and exchanges a CECcontrol signal with the external devices; therefore, the display device10 and the external devices are allowed to mutually control operations.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a display screen of the mobile device20 in a remote control mode. In the case where the external device 70 isconnected to the display device 10, for example, as illustrated in FIG.10, the mobile device 20 displays an external device button section 68for operating the external device 70. In the display system 2, when theexternal device 70 is connected to the display device 10, informationassociated with the external device 70 is transmitted to the mobiledevice 20, and as illustrated in FIG. 10, the external device buttonsection 68 is displayed on the display screen 60 of the mobile device20.

FIG. 11 illustrates an operation flow of the display system 2. In thedisplay system 2, when the external device 70 is connected to thedisplay device 10, the display device 10 generates and transmits thedisplay control command C for performing display control of the externaldevice button section 68 to the mobile device 20. The mobile device 20displays the external device button section 68 according to the displaycontrol command C. Specific description will be given below.

First, the display device 10 checks whether the mobile device 20 is in aremote control mode with use of the communication mechanism A (stepS21). In the case where the mobile device 20 is in the remote controlmode, the operation flow proceeds to step S22, and in the case where themobile device 20 is not in the remote control mode, the operation flowreturns to the step S21.

Next, the display device 10 checks whether the external device 70 isconnected to the HDMI terminal TH (step S22). In the case where theexternal device 70 is connected to the HDMI terminal TH, the operationflow proceeds to step S23, and in the case where the external device 70is not connected to the HDMI terminal TH, the operation flow returns tothe step S21.

Then, the display device 10 generates the display control command C(step S23). More specifically, the command generation module 51M of theCPU 51 generates the display control command C based on the kind or thelike of the external device 70 connected to the display device 10.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of the display control command C in theembodiment. The display control command C is written in BML as in thecase of the first embodiment. In this example, for example, text inparts indicated by W1, W2, W3, W4 and W5 correspond to a “link menu”button, a “replay” button, a “record” button, a “program recording”button and a “play” button of the external device button section 68illustrated in FIG. 10, respectively. The labels L are written inrespective parts W1 to W5, and the labels L are displayed as buttons inthe external device button section 68 as illustrated in FIG. 10.

Next, the display device 10 transmits the display control command C tothe mobile device 20 (step S24), and the mobile device 20 receives thedisplay control command C (step S25). Specific operations in the stepsS24 and S25 are similar to those in the step S6 and S7 in the firstembodiment.

Then, the mobile device 20 displays the external device button section68 according to the display control command C (step S26). Morespecifically, first, the command analysis section 26 of the mobiledevice 20 analyzes the received display control command C to performdisplay control of the external device button section 68 based on ananalysis result.

Next, the mobile device 20 receives a user operation (step S27), andtransmits the remote control signal R according to the operation (stepS28). Then, the display device 10 receives the remote control signal R(step S29). Specific operations in the steps S27 to S29 are similar tothose in the step S9 to S11 in the first embodiment.

Next, the display device 10 transmits the CEC control signal to theexternal device 70 (step S30). More specifically, the CPU 51 of thedisplay device 10 analyzes the received remote control signal R togenerate the CEC control signal based on an analysis result, and thentransmits the CEC control signal to the external device 70 through theHDMI interface 37. In the external device 70, processing is performed inresponse to the CEC control signal.

Thus, the operation flow is completed.

[Effects]

As described above, in the embodiment, display control of operationbuttons on the mobile device is performed in response to connection ofthe external device to the display device; therefore, the operationbuttons are displayed only in the case where the external device isconnected to the display device, thereby allowing an operable button tobe displayed and allowing an inoperable button not to be displayed, andan operation which is easy for a user to follow is achievable.

Other effects are similar to those in the first embodiment.

[Modification 2]

In the above-described embodiment, display control of the externaldevice button section 68 is performed in response to connection of theexternal device 70 to the display device 10; however, the technology isnot limited thereto, and instead of the external device button section68, display control of any other operation button may be performed. Anexample in the case where display control of a cursor button section 67is performed in response to connection of the external device 70 to thedisplay device 10 will be described below.

FIG. 13 illustrates a display example of the cursor button section 67.In this example, in the case where a recording/playback device isconnected as the external device 70, operations of forwarding andreversing the chapter number of contents to be played are allocated toright and left buttons. More specifically, in the case where a chapterassigned to Chapter No. 5 is played at present, as illustrated in FIG.13, “C6” representing the next chapter is displayed on the right button,and “C4” representing the previous chapter is displayed on the leftbutton. At this time, when the right button is touched, the mobiledevice 20 transmits, to the display device 10, the remote control signalR for skipping to the next chapter, and when the left button is touched,the mobile device 20 transmits, to the display device 10, the remotecontrol signal R for skipping to the previous chapter.

For example, display relating to the operation illustrated in FIG. 13may be performed by transmitting the display control command C from thedisplay device 10 to the mobile device 20 in the case where the externaldevice 70 is connected to the display device 10, or in the case wherethe display 10 is ready to play contents.

Thus, when display relating the operation is performed on the mobiledevice 20 in a hand of the user, the user is allowed to operate thedisplay device 10 only by watching the mobile device 20 without checkingthe display screen of the display device 10. Moreover, for example, inthe case where such display is performed only on the mobile device 20and such display is not performed on the display screen of the displaydevice 10, the user is allowed to watch contents on the display device10 without being interrupted by display of the operation.

[Other Modification]

In the above-described embodiment, the external device is arecording/playback device; however, the technology is not limitedthereto, and the external device may be any other device such as aplayback-only device or an amplifier. In this case, the external devicebutton section 68 desirably displays a button corresponding to theexternal device.

Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, one external device isconnected; however, the technology is not limited thereto, and, forexample, a plurality of external devices may be connected. In this case,a plurality of external device button sections corresponding to theplurality of connected external devices may be displayed, or an externaldevice button section corresponding to one selected external device maybe displayed.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the external device isconnected through HDMI; however, the technology is not limited thereto,and the external device may be connected through any other interfacehaving a function similar to that of HDMI.

Although the present technology is described referring to theembodiments and the modifications, the technology is not limitedthereto, and may be variously modified.

For example, functions of the display systems 1 and according to thefirst and second embodiments may be combined. More specifically, forexample, a display system may be configured to perform display controlof the color button section 66 and the external device button section 68on the mobile device 20 in response to reception of data broadcastingand connection of an external device, respectively.

For example, in the above-described embodiments, display control ofoperation buttons on the mobile device 20 is performed in response toreception of data broadcasting (the first embodiment) and connection ofthe external device (the second embodiment); however, the technology isnot limited thereto. Some examples will be described below.

FIG. 14A illustrates an example of a display screen of the mobile device20 in the case where the display device 10 is turned off. In thisexample, only the on/standby button and the number button section 63 aredisplayed on the display screen 60. Then, when one of displayedoperation buttons is touched, the display device 10 is turned on. Morespecifically, when the on/standby button 61 is touched in the case wherethe display device 10 is off, the mobile device 20 transmits, to thedisplay device 10, the remote control signal R for allowing the displaydevice 10 to be turned on. Moreover, when the number button section 63is touched in the case where the display device 10 is off, the mobiledevice 20 transmits, to the display device 10, the remote control signalR for allowing the display device 10 to be turned on and selecting achannel corresponding to a touched number button.

Display relating to operations illustrated in FIG. 14A is allowed to beperformed by transmitting the display control command C from the displaydevice 10 to the mobile device 20 in the case where the display device10 is switched from an ON state to an OFF state.

FIG. 14B illustrates a display example of the volume button section 64.In this example, in the case where the present volume is “16”, “17”representing one level higher than the present volume is displayed on a+button, and “15” representing one level lower than the present volumeis displayed on a −button. At this time, when the +button is touched,the mobile device 20 transmits, to the display device 10, the remotecontrol signal R for increasing the volume by one level, and when the−button is touched, the mobile device transmits, to the display device10, the remote control signal R for decreasing the volume by one level.

Display relating to the operation illustrated in FIG. 14B is allowed tobe performed by transmitting the display control command C from thedisplay device 10 to the mobile device 20 when the volume of the displaydevice 10 is changed. In this case, the mobile device 20 may performsuch display only during a predetermined period from reception of thedisplay control command C, or may perform such display regularly.

For example, in the above-described embodiments, display control ofoperation buttons is performed without changing the positions of theoperation buttons; however, the technology is not limited thereto, andthe positions of the operation buttons may be changed. FIG. 15illustrates an example in the case where the positions of respectivebuttons in a broadcast select button section 62B are changed. Thebroadcast select button section 62 illustrated in FIG. 4 includes fouroperation buttons “analog”, “digital”, “BS” and “CS”; however, thebroadcast select button section 62B illustrated in FIG. 15 includesthree operation buttons “digital”, “BS” and “CS”, and the positions ofthese operation buttons are changed. In other words, when the “analog”button is not necessary by transition from analog terrestrialbroadcasting to digital terrestrial broadcasting, the “analog” button isnot displayed, and the positions of the other three operation buttonsare changed.

Thus, when display control is performed to change the positions of theoperation buttons in such a manner, a display region is allowed to beused effectively. In particular, in the example illustrated in FIG. 15,the positions of the operation buttons are permanently changed by achange in standards, and unlike a temporary change in positions, theuser is less likely to be confused, and only operable operation buttonsare displayed and the operation buttons are upsized; therefore, thebroadcast select button section 62B is more easily used by the user.

For example, in the above-described embodiments, data broadcasting iswritten in BML; however, the technology is not limited thereto. Forexample, data broadcasting may be written in a language based on aplatform for data broadcasting such as MHP (Multimedia Home Platform),OCAP (Open Cable Application Platform) or ACAP (Advanced CommonApplication Platform). In this case, the description language of thedisplay control command C is allowed to be the same as that of the databroadcasting.

For example, in the above-described embodiments, the display system isconfigured of the display device 10 and the mobile device 20; however,the technology is not limited thereto. For example, instead of themobile device 20, the display system may be configured with use of aremote control dedicated to the display device 10.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occurdepending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they arewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

1. An operational terminal device comprising: a control unit to controldisplay on a display screen of at least one operation button to controla display control device, based on button information associated withthe operation button and received from the display control device. 2.The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the button information istransmitted from the display control device when the terminal device isin remote control mode.
 3. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein thebutton information is transmitted from the display control device whendata broadcasting for a program is provided.
 4. The terminal device ofclaim 1, wherein the button information is transmitted from the displaycontrol device when a predetermined external device is connected to thedisplay control device.
 5. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein thebutton information is written in a same language that button informationin data broadcasting is written.
 6. The terminal device of claim 5,wherein the language in which the data broadcasting is written is alanguage among a plurality of languages in which the data broadcastingis writable.
 7. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein, when databroadcasting for a program is absent, the button information reflectsthe data broadcasting being absent.
 8. The terminal device of claim 1,wherein the button information is generated from button information indata broadcasting for a program.
 9. The terminal device of claim 1,wherein the button information includes information to control thedisplay such that a first operation button is displayed only when asecond operation button is selected.
 10. The terminal device of claim 1,wherein the button information includes information to control thedisplay such that, when the at least one operation button is displayed,the display control device controls display of contents associated withthe at least one operation button without information corresponding tothe at least one operation button.
 11. The terminal device of claim 1,wherein the button information includes information to control thedisplay of the at least one operation button to reflect a predeterminedbroadcast standard.
 12. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein thebutton information includes information to control the display of the atleast one operation button to reflect only operable operation buttons.13. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the control unit controlsdisplay on the display screen of a label based on the buttoninformation.
 14. The terminal device of claim 1 further comprising: thedisplay screen and a touch panel superimposed on the display screen. 15.The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the control unit controlsdisplay on the display screen of indicia representing a next chapter anda previous chapter of content based on the button information.
 16. Theterminal device of claim 15, wherein the content is of an externaldevice connected to the display control device.
 17. The terminal deviceof claim 1, wherein the control unit controls display on the displayscreen to indicate an operating state of the display control device. 18.The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the control unit controls thedisplay when the button information indicates volume of the displaycontrol device is changed.
 19. The terminal device of claim 1, whereinthe control unit controls transmission of a control signal to thedisplay control device in response to an operation by a usercorresponding to the at least one operation button.
 20. A displaycontrol device comprising: a control unit to control transmission, to anexternal device that controls display on a display screen, of buttoninformation associated with at least one operation button, wherein thebutton information controls display of the operation button on thedisplay screen by the external device.
 21. The display control device ofclaim 20, wherein the button information is transmitted when theterminal device is in remote control mode.
 22. The display controldevice of claim 20, wherein the control unit generates the buttoninformation when data broadcasting for a program is provided.
 23. Thedisplay control device of claim 20, wherein the button informationindicates a label to be displayed on the display screen.
 24. The displaycontrol device of claim 20, wherein the control unit generates thebutton information when a predetermined external device is connected tothe display control device.
 25. The display control device of claim 20,wherein the button information is transmitted when a predeterminedexternal device is connected to the display control device.
 26. Thedisplay control device of claim 20, wherein the button information iswritten in a same language that button information in data broadcastingis written.
 27. The display control device of claim 26, wherein thelanguage in which the data broadcasting is written is a language among aplurality of languages in which the data broadcasting is writable. 28.The display control device of claim 20, wherein, when data broadcastingfor a program is absent, the button information reflects the databroadcasting being absent.
 29. The display control device of claim 20,wherein the button information is generated from button information indata broadcasting for a program.
 30. The display control device of claim20, wherein the button information includes information to control thedisplay such that a first operation button is displayed only when asecond operation button is selected.
 31. The display control device ofclaim 20, wherein the button information includes information to controlthe display such that, when the at least one operation button isdisplayed, the display control device controls display of contentsassociated with the at least one operation button without informationcorresponding to the at least one operation button.
 32. The displaycontrol device of claim 20, wherein the control unit performs processingin response to a control signal from the external device.
 33. A methodof operating a terminal device comprising: controlling, by a processor,display on a display screen of at least one operation button to controla display control device, based on button information associated withthe operation button and received from the display control device.
 34. Amethod of operating a display control device comprising: controlling, bya processor, transmission, to an external device that controls displayon a display screen, of button information associated with at least oneoperation button, wherein the button information controls display of theoperation button on the display screen by the external device.
 35. Asystem comprising: an operational terminal device and a display controldevice, wherein the operational terminal device includes a first controlunit to control display on a display screen of at least one operationbutton to control the display control device, based on buttoninformation associated with the operation button and received from thedisplay control device, and wherein the display control device includesa second control unit to control transmission to the terminal device ofthe button information.